Business owners to be educated on Procurement Act

KHORIXAS – Khorixas Town Council will hold a Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME)’s workshop later this month to equip local business owners from both the informal and formal sector on the Procurement Act 15 of 2015. The SMME workshop is free of charge.

According to Ester /Nanus, the Local Economic Development Officer, the SMME workshop will be held from 18th to 21st September at the Town Council Hall behind Nampost. 

“We (Town Council) want to equip and educate our people on the Procurement Act. Without its knowledge, the residents might be sidelined during tenders so we want them to be streamlined into the mainstream economy so they too can compete nationally and not just locally,” /Nanus told New Era earlier this week. So far, 21 business owners have registered and registration is open until the 18th September. The workshop will be taking place from 14H00 until 17H00 but no refreshments as well as print outs will be offered due to limited funds. “Interest is high. The office of the Local Economic Development is carrying out its mandate, thus we are organising this workshop,” /Nanus emphasised. There about 70 registered businesses at the north western town but the list is updated on yearly basis which /Nanus said will increase this year. The participants on day one will be informed about the Objects of the Act, Applications, Exemptions, Procurement Policy Unit, Central Procurement Board, Internal Organisational Structures, Procurement Committees, Bid Evaluation Committee, Review Panel, Procurement Cycle and Procurement Thresholds. 

On day two, the participants will be educated on the bidding process which include planning, bidding documents, bid security/bid securing declaration, bid validity, submission of bids, bid opening, receipt and custody of bids, bid opening, post-qualification, cancellation of proceedings before opening of bids and awarding process. Day three will be about bidding documents and day four will be about evaluation of bids.

Each attendee will receive a copy of the presentation at each day via email address they provide, certificates will be awarded to companies/owners that attend all four days.

The office of the Local Economic Development was created in 2013 with the purpose to market the town, youth development, promotion and training of the SMME sector under the Khorixas CEO office.

Business owners ranging from catering, construction, events organising, liquor shops, supermarkets, hiring and renting as well as those from the informal sector will be equipped with standard bidding documents according to /Nanus. After the training, business owners will establish the local NCCI branch too.

About Khorixas Expo not taking place for the past two years, Nanus responded “Definitively we will return in the future as we are focusing our limited resources on other programmes,” /Nanus said both the Khorixas Investment Conference and the Khorixas Expo will be held once the situation improves.